Optical element arrangements for varying beam parameter product in laser delivery systems

ABSTRACT

In various embodiments, laser delivery systems feature one or more optical elements for receiving a radiation beam and altering the spatial power distribution thereof, a lens manipulation system for changing a position of at least one optical element within the path of the radiation beam, and a controller for controlling the lens manipulation system to achieve a target altered spatial power distribution on a workpiece.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/183,210, filed Jun. 23, 2015, the entiredisclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

In various embodiments, the present invention relates to laser systems,specifically laser systems with controllable beam parameter products.

BACKGROUND

High-power laser systems are utilized for a host of differentapplications, such as welding, cutting, drilling, and materialsprocessing. Such laser systems typically include a laser emitter, thelaser light from which is coupled into an optical fiber (or simply a“fiber”), and an optical system that focuses the laser light from thefiber onto the workpiece to be processed. The optical system istypically engineered to produce the highest-quality laser beam, or,equivalently, the beam with the lowest beam parameter product (BPP). TheBPP is the product of the laser beam's divergence angle (half-angle) andthe radius of the beam at its narrowest point (i.e., the beam waist, theminimum spot size). The BPP quantifies the quality of the laser beam andhow well it can be focused to a small spot, and is typically expressedin units of millimeter-milliradians (mm-mrad). (BPP values disclosedherein are in units of mm-mrad unless otherwise indicated.) A Gaussianbeam has the lowest possible BPP, given by the wavelength of the laserlight divided by pi. The ratio of the BPP of an actual beam to that ofan ideal Gaussian beam at the same wavelength is denoted M², which is awavelength-independent measure of beam quality.

In many laser-processing applications, the desired beam spot size,divergence, and beam quality may vary depending on, for example, thetype of processing and/or the type of material being processed. In orderto make such changes to the BPP of the laser system, frequently theoutput optical system or the optical fiber must be swapped out withother components and/or realigned, a time-consuming and expensiveprocess that may even lead to inadvertent damage of the fragile opticalcomponents of the laser system. Thus, there is a need for alternativetechniques for varying the BPP of a laser system that do not involvesuch adjustments to the laser beam or optical system at the output ofthe optical fiber.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present invention use optical elements capable oflaser beam shaping to achieve desired spatial beam profiles that modifybeam quality (particularly BPP). More specifically, changing the opticalgeometry of optical elements by moving or displacing their positiontransverse or longitudinal to the optical axis of the laser beam may beutilized to produce variable BPP. In embodiments of the invention,optical elements are located in the beam path with switchable states,producing different beam deflections or diffractions, depending on theirposition. The use of optical elements in accordance with embodiments ofthe present invention enables variation of BPP regardless the shape,quality, wavelength, bandwidth, and number of beams corresponding to theinput laser beam(s). The output beam with controllably variable BPP maybe utilized to process a workpiece in such applications as welding,cutting, drilling, etc.

One advantage of variable BPP is improved laser application performancefor different types of processing techniques or different types ofmaterials being processed. Several techniques have been investigated formodifying laser BPP. Laser beam quality may be improved by mode cleanerswhich include resonant mode cleaners, non-resonant mode cleaners, andoptical fiber. Various techniques for varying BPP of laser beams havebeen described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/632,283, filed onFeb. 26, 2015, the disclosure of which is incorporated in its entiretyherein by reference. In comparison with mode cleaner cavities or the useof optical single-mode fibers, non-resonant mode cleaners are relativelyeasy to align. This method may be divided into transverse beam shapingby using spatial filter, refractive optics, and adaptive optics, andlongitudinal shaping by using time and frequency domain methods.Differing beam intensity distribution that is induced by opticalelements (refractive optics) modifies beam quality and, therefore, BPP.By using translation (e.g., motorized translation) of the opticalelements that have different effective optical geometries in the beampath, real-time dynamic changes of BPP may be realized.

Laser beam shaping is the process of redistributing the intensity(irradiance) and phase of the beam. The intensity distribution definesthe beam profile, such as Gaussian, Bessel, annular, multimode,rectangular, top-hat, elliptical or circular, and different intensityprofiles may be critical and necessary for specific laser materialsprocessing techniques. Among several methods have been investigated forbeam shaping in the near field, the most straightforward approach isthrough the use of apodization and truncation. Since this approach isfundamentally energy inefficient, reflective optics, refractive optics,diffractive optics, acousto-optics, and/or liquid crystals are generallyemployed to shape the laser beam by using field-mapping methods. Anotherapproach for beam shaping is beam integration, which involves mixingfractions of the input beam to smooth out the intensity spikes, i.e.,beam homogenization by means of integration based on splitting the inputbeam into beamlets that overlap at the focal plane of a lens.

In embodiments of this invention, the optical element is located in thedelivery system that delivers the laser beam to the workpiece andfocuses the laser. The delivery system may be configured and/or packagedas, for example, a cutting head or a welding head. Embodiments of theinvention vary the beam quality in order to enable a controllablyvariable BPP at the work station (and/or at the workpiece disposedthereon). The variable BPP module may include one or more opticalelements, a motorized translating stage, a collimating lens, and afocusing lens. Embodiments of the invention may feature any one or moreof multiple types of refractive optics for the optical elements are usedto vary BPP.

Embodiments of the invention vary beam quality by dynamically changingthe position of one or more optical elements in the optical path of thelaser beam. In one embodiment, the beam profile is tailored by adjustingthe beam pointing position on the optical element. The optical elementsmay have different geometries dependent on a desired beam profile and,therefore, BPP. One optical element in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention has a planar surface and a flat-top (i.e., truncated) coneshaped surface. Another optical element in accordance with embodimentsof the invention has a planar surface and a flat-top spherical shapedsurface. Yet another optical element in accordance with embodiments ofthe invention is a meniscus lens. The diverging light rays from the beamdelivery fiber are directed towards the optical element(s) toredistribute beam intensity within the optical elements. Other opticalelements in accordance with embodiments of the invention include pairedpositive and negative axicon lenses. In other embodiments, opticalelements include twinned, complementary phase-plate lenses, one of whichhas a partially convex surface and one of which has a complementarilypartially concavely curved surface. The edges of the optical elementsmay be rounded off in order to suppress diffraction effects.Generating/transforming laser intensity distribution on workpieces withvarious beam shaping techniques has been conducted, but suchconventional techniques have limited ability to vary beam quality. Theadvantages of dynamic variation of BPP with the automated movement ofoptical elements may be applied to, for example, laser-cuttingapplications on round-cut or square-cut corners where BPP changes duringfree-form cutting are required. Such advantages may also be applied tolaser-drilling applications that may utilize the ability to vary bothBPP and focal length. Automated closed-loop motor control of opticalelements in accordance with embodiments of the invention producesreliable and repeatable performance and enables precise control ofoptics position, thereby providing accurate BPP variation.

Herein, “optical elements” may refer to any of lenses, mirrors, prisms,gratings, and the like, which redirect, reflect, bend, or in any othermanner optically manipulate electromagnetic radiation, unless otherwiseindicated. Herein, beam emitters, emitters, or laser emitters, or lasersinclude any electromagnetic beam-generating device such as semiconductorelements, which generate an electromagnetic beam, but may or may not beself-resonating. These also include fiber lasers, disk lasers, non-solidstate lasers, etc. Generally, each emitter includes a back reflectivesurface, at least one optical gain medium, and a front reflectivesurface. The optical gain medium increases the gain of electromagneticradiation that is not limited to any particular portion of theelectromagnetic spectrum, but that may be visible, infrared, and/orultraviolet light. An emitter may include or consist essentially ofmultiple beam emitters such as a diode bar configured to emit multiplebeams. The input beams received in the embodiments herein may besingle-wavelength or multi-wavelength beams combined using varioustechniques known in the art.

Embodiments of the invention may be utilized with wavelength beamcombining (WBC) systems that include a plurality of emitters, such asone or more diode bars, that are combined using a dispersive element toform a multi-wavelength beam. Each emitter in the WBC systemindividually resonates, and is stabilized through wavelength-specificfeedback from a common partially reflecting output coupler that isfiltered by the dispersive element along a beam-combining dimension.Exemplary WBC systems are detailed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,192,062, filed onFeb. 4, 2000, U.S. Pat. No. 6,208,679, filed on Sep. 8, 1998, U.S. Pat.No. 8,670,180, filed on Aug. 25, 2011, and U.S. Pat. No. 8,559,107,filed on Mar. 7, 2011, the entire disclosure of each of which isincorporated by reference herein. Multi-wavelength output beams of WBCsystems may be utilized as input beams in conjunction with embodimentsof the present invention for, e.g., BPP control.

In an aspect, embodiments of the invention feature a laser deliverysystem for receiving and altering a spatial power distribution of aradiation beam from a beam source and focusing the radiation with thealtered spatial power distribution onto a workpiece. The laser systemincludes or consists essentially of a collimating lens for collimatingthe radiation beam, a focusing lens for receiving the collimated beamand focusing the beam toward the workpiece, an optical element forreceiving the radiation beam and altering the spatial power distributionthereof, a lens manipulation system for changing a position of theoptical element within a path of the radiation beam, and a controllerfor controlling the lens manipulation system to achieve a target alteredspatial power distribution on the workpiece. The optical element may bedisposed between the beam source and the collimating lens (i.e.,optically downstream of the beam source and optically upstream of thecollimating lens).

Embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the following inany of a variety of combinations. The optical element may include,consist essentially of, or consist of a lens having (i) a first surfacehaving the shape of a truncated cone, and (ii) opposite the firstsurface, a second surface that is substantially planar. The firstsurface may face the beam source. The first surface may face away fromthe beam source. The optical element may include, consist essentiallyof, or consist of a lens having (i) a first surface having the shape ofa truncated sphere, and (ii) opposite the first surface, a secondsurface that is substantially planar. The first surface may face thebeam source. The first surface may face away from the beam source. Theoptical element may include, consist essentially of, or consist of ameniscus lens. The meniscus lens may be a positive meniscus lens. Themeniscus lens may be a negative meniscus lens. The optical element mayinclude, consist essentially of, or consist of fused silica and/or zincsulfide. The lens manipulation system may be configured to position theoptical element transversely off-center within the path of the radiationbeam.

The laser delivery system may include a second optical element disposedin the path of the radiation beam. The second optical element may bedisposed between the focusing lens and the workpiece (i.e., disposedoptically downstream of the focusing lens and disposed opticallyupstream of the workpiece). The lens manipulation system may beconfigured to change a position of the second optical element within thepath of the radiation beam. The second optical element may include,consist essentially of, or consist of a lens having (i) a first surfacehaving the shape of a truncated cone, and (ii) opposite the firstsurface, a second surface that is substantially planar. The firstsurface may face the beam source. The first surface may face away fromthe beam source. The second optical element may include, consistessentially of, or consist of a lens having (i) a first surface havingthe shape of a truncated sphere, and (ii) opposite the first surface, asecond surface that is substantially planar. The first surface may facethe beam source. The first surface may face away from the beam source.The second optical element may include, consist essentially of, orconsist of a meniscus lens. The meniscus lens may be a positive meniscuslens. The meniscus lens may be a negative meniscus lens. The secondoptical element may include, consist essentially of, or consist of fusedsilica and/or zinc sulfide.

The beam source may include or consist essentially of a beam emitteremitting a plurality of discrete beams, focusing optics for focusing theplurality of beams onto a dispersive element, a dispersive element forreceiving and dispersing the received focused beams, and a partiallyreflective output coupler positioned to receive the dispersed beams,transmit a portion of the dispersed beams therethrough as the radiationbeam, and reflect a second portion of the dispersed beams back towardthe dispersive element. The radiation beam may be composed of multiplewavelengths of radiation. The focusing optics may include or consistessentially of one or more cylindrical lenses, one or more sphericallenses, one or more spherical mirrors, and/or one or more cylindricalmirrors. The dispersive element may include or consist essentially of adiffraction grating (e.g., a transmissive diffraction grating or areflective diffraction grating).

In another aspect, embodiments of the invention feature a laser deliverysystem for receiving and altering a spatial power distribution of aradiation beam from a beam source and focusing the radiation with thealtered spatial power distribution onto a workpiece. The laser deliverysystem includes or consists essentially of a collimating lens forcollimating the radiation beam, a focusing lens for receiving thecollimated beam and focusing the beam toward the workpiece, first andsecond optical elements for receiving the radiation beam and alteringthe spatial power distribution thereof, a lens manipulation system forchanging (i) a position of the first optical element within a path ofthe radiation beam, (ii) a position of the second optical element withinthe path of the radiation beam, and/or (iii) a distance between thefirst and second optical elements, and a controller for controlling thelens manipulation system to achieve a target altered spatial powerdistribution on the workpiece. The first and/or second optical elementmay be disposed between the beam source and the collimating lens (i.e.,disposed optically downstream of the beam source and optically upstreamof the collimating lens).

Embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the following inany of a variety of combinations. The first optical element may include,consist essentially of, or consist of a double-concave axicon lens. Thesecond optical element may include, consist essentially of, or consistof a double-convex axicon lens. The first optical element may bedisposed optically upstream of the second optical element. The firstoptical element may be disposed optically downstream of the secondoptical element. The lens manipulation system may be configured tochange the distance between the first and second optical elements withinthe range of approximately 0 mm to approximately 50 mm, within the rangeof approximately 0 mm to approximately 20 mm, within the range ofapproximately 2 mm to approximately 50 mm, or with the range ofapproximately 2 mm to approximately 20 mm. The first optical element mayinclude, consist essentially of, or consist of a lens having (i) a firstsurface that is substantially planar, and (ii) opposite the firstsurface, a second surface having (a) a first portion that is convexlycurved and (b) a second portion that is substantially planar. The secondoptical element may include, consist essentially of, or consist of alens having (i) a first surface that is substantially planar, and (ii)opposite the first surface, a second surface having (a) a first portionthat is concavely curved and (b) a second portion that is substantiallyplanar. The first optical element may be disposed optically upstream ofthe second optical element. The first optical element may be disposedoptically downstream of the second optical element. The second surfaceof the first optical element may face the second surface of the secondoptical element. The first surface of the first optical element may facethe first surface of the second optical element. The first surface ofthe first optical element may face the second surface of the secondoptical element. The second surface of the first optical element mayface the first surface of the first optical element. The lensmanipulation system may be configured to position the first opticalelement and/or the second optical element transversely off-center withinthe path of the radiation beam. The first optical element may include,consist essentially of, or consist of fused silica and/or zinc sulfide.The second optical element may include, consist essentially of, orconsist of fused silica and/or zinc sulfide.

The beam source may include or consist essentially of a beam emitteremitting a plurality of discrete beams, focusing optics for focusing theplurality of beams onto a dispersive element, a dispersive element forreceiving and dispersing the received focused beams, and a partiallyreflective output coupler positioned to receive the dispersed beams,transmit a portion of the dispersed beams therethrough as the radiationbeam, and reflect a second portion of the dispersed beams back towardthe dispersive element. The radiation beam may be composed of multiplewavelengths of radiation. The focusing optics may include or consistessentially of one or more cylindrical lenses, one or more sphericallenses, one or more spherical mirrors, and/or one or more cylindricalmirrors. The dispersive element may include or consist essentially of adiffraction grating (e.g., a transmissive diffraction grating or areflective diffraction grating).

In yet another aspect, embodiments of the invention feature a laserdelivery system for receiving and altering a spatial power distributionof a radiation beam from a beam source and focusing the radiation withthe altered spatial power distribution onto a workpiece. The laserdelivery system includes or consists essentially of one or moredivergence-increasing optical elements for increasing a divergence ofthe radiation beam, a focusing lens for receiving the radiation beam andfocusing the beam toward the workpiece, at least one optical element forreceiving the radiation beam and altering the spatial power distributionthereof, a lens manipulation system for changing a position of the atleast one optical element within a path of the radiation beam, and acontroller for controlling the lens manipulation system to achieve atarget altered spatial power distribution on the workpiece.

Embodiments of the invention may include one or more of the following inany of a variety of combinations. The focusing lens may be disposedoptically downstream of the one or more divergence-increasing opticalelements. The at least one optical element may be disposed opticallyupstream of the focusing lens. The one or more divergence-increasingoptical elements may include, consist essentially of, or consist of atriple collimator. The triple collimator may include, consistessentially of, or consist of (i) a first plano-concave lens, (ii) asecond meniscus lens, and (iii) a third plano-convex lens. The firstplano-concave lens may be disposed optically upstream of the secondmeniscus lens. The second meniscus lens may be disposed opticallyupstream of the third plano-convex lens. The at least one opticalelement may be disposed optically downstream of the first plano-concavelens. The at least one optical element may be disposed opticallyupstream of the second meniscus lens and/or the third plano-convex lens.The at least one optical element may include, consist essentially of, orconsist of a lens having (i) a first surface having the shape of atruncated cone, and (ii) opposite the first surface, a second surfacethat is substantially planar. The at least one optical element mayinclude, consist essentially of, or consist of a lens having (i) a firstsurface having the shape of a truncated sphere, and (ii) opposite thefirst surface, a second surface that is substantially planar. The atleast one optical element may include, consist essentially of, orconsist of a meniscus lens (e.g., a positive meniscus lens or a negativemeniscus lens). The lens manipulation system may be configured toposition at least one said optical element transversely off-centerwithin the path of the radiation beam.

The at least one optical element may include, consist essentially of, orconsist of a first optical element and a second optical element. Thefirst optical element and the second optical element may be separated bya gap therebetween. The lens manipulation system may be configured tochange (i) a position of the first optical element within a path of theradiation beam, (ii) a position of the second optical element within thepath of the radiation beam, and/or (iii) a distance between the firstand second optical elements. The first optical element may include,consist essentially of, or consist of a double-concave axicon lens. Thesecond optical element may include, consist essentially of, or consistof a double-convex axicon lens. The first optical element may bedisposed optically upstream of the second optical element. The firstoptical element may be disposed optically downstream of the secondoptical element. The lens manipulation system may be configured tochange the distance between the first and second optical elements withinthe range of approximately 0 mm to approximately 50 mm, within the rangeof approximately 0 mm to approximately 20 mm, within the range ofapproximately 2 mm to approximately 50 mm, or with the range ofapproximately 2 mm to approximately 20 mm. The first optical element mayinclude, consist essentially of, or consist of a lens having (i) a firstsurface that is substantially planar, and (ii) opposite the firstsurface, a second surface having (a) a first portion that is convexlycurved and (b) a second portion that is substantially planar. The secondoptical element may include, consist essentially of, or consist of alens having (i) a first surface that is substantially planar, and (ii)opposite the first surface, a second surface having (a) a first portionthat is concavely curved and (b) a second portion that is substantiallyplanar. The first optical element may be disposed optically upstream ofthe second optical element. The first optical element may be disposedoptically downstream of the second optical element. The second surfaceof the first optical element may face the second surface of the secondoptical element. The first surface of the first optical element may facethe first surface of the second optical element. The first surface ofthe first optical element may face the second surface of the secondoptical element. The second surface of the first optical element mayface the first surface of the first optical element. The lensmanipulation system may be configured to position the first opticalelement and/or the second optical element transversely off-center withinthe path of the radiation beam. The first optical element may include,consist essentially of, or consist of fused silica and/or zinc sulfide.The second optical element may include, consist essentially of, orconsist of fused silica and/or zinc sulfide.

The beam source may include or consist essentially of a beam emitteremitting a plurality of discrete beams, focusing optics for focusing theplurality of beams onto a dispersive element, a dispersive element forreceiving and dispersing the received focused beams, and a partiallyreflective output coupler positioned to receive the dispersed beams,transmit a portion of the dispersed beams therethrough as the radiationbeam, and reflect a second portion of the dispersed beams back towardthe dispersive element. The radiation beam may be composed of multiplewavelengths of radiation. The focusing optics may include or consistessentially of one or more cylindrical lenses, one or more sphericallenses, one or more spherical mirrors, and/or one or more cylindricalmirrors. The dispersive element may include or consist essentially of adiffraction grating (e.g., a transmissive diffraction grating or areflective diffraction grating).

These and other objects, along with advantages and features of thepresent invention herein disclosed, will become more apparent throughreference to the following description, the accompanying drawings, andthe claims. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the features of thevarious embodiments described herein are not mutually exclusive and mayexist in various combinations and permutations. As used herein, the term“substantially” means±10%, and in some embodiments, ±5%. The term“consists essentially of” means excluding other materials thatcontribute to function, unless otherwise defined herein. Nonetheless,such other materials may be present, collectively or individually, intrace amounts. Herein, the terms “radiation” and “light” are utilizedinterchangeably unless otherwise indicated. Herein, “downstream” or“optically downstream,” is utilized to indicate the relative placementof a second element that a light beam strikes after encountering a firstelement, the first element being “upstream,” or “optically upstream” ofthe second element. Herein, “optical distance” between two components isthe distance between two components that is actually traveled by lightbeams; the optical distance may be, but is not necessarily, equal to thephysical distance between two components due to, e.g., reflections frommirrors or other changes in propagation direction experienced by thelight traveling from one of the components to the other.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings, like reference characters generally refer to the sameparts throughout the different views. Also, the drawings are notnecessarily to scale, emphasis instead generally being placed uponillustrating the principles of the invention. In the followingdescription, various embodiments of the present invention are describedwith reference to the following drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a laser beam delivery system inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a flat-top cone optical element inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3A is a graph of BPP variation as a function of the distance of afused silica flat-top cone optical element from a beam source inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 3B is a graph of BPP variation as a function of the distance of azinc sulfide flat-top cone optical element from a beam source inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram of a laser delivery system having anoff-center optical element in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention;

FIGS. 4B-4D depict beam profiles as a function of off-center distanceproduced by the laser delivery system of FIG. 4A;

FIG. 4E is a graph of irradiance as a function of position for thetwo-peak beam profile depicted in FIG. 4D;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a flat-top spherical optical element inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6A is a graph of BPP variation as a function of the distance of afused silica flat-top spherical optical element from a beam source inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 6B is a graph of BPP variation as a function of the distance of azinc sulfide flat-top spherical optical element from a beam source inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIGS. 7A-7C depict beam profiles as a function of off-center distanceproduced by a laser delivery system incorporating the optical element ofFIG. 5 in accordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 7D is a graph of irradiance as a function of position for thetwo-peak beam profile depicted in FIG. 7C;

FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram of a portion of a laser delivery systemhaving two axicon-lens optical elements in accordance with variousembodiments of the invention;

FIGS. 8B and 8C depict geometric design parameters of axicon lenses inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a graph of the BPP variation as a function of gap distancebetween positive and negative axicon lenses in accordance with variousembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 10 depicts beam profiles at different gap distances betweenpositive and negative axicon lenses in accordance with variousembodiments of the invention;

FIG. 11 depicts beam profiles at different gap distances betweenpositive and negative axicon lenses that are transversely off-centeredin the beam path in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 12A is a schematic diagram of a portion of a laser delivery systemhaving twin phase plate lenses in accordance with various embodiments ofthe invention;

FIGS. 12B and 12C depict geometric design parameters of phase platelenses in accordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 12D is a graph of BPP as a function of the inner diameter of twinphase plates in accordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 12E is a graph of optimized inner diameter of twin phase plates asa function of separation from an input fiber end cap in accordance withvarious embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 12F is a graph of the BPP variation as a function of gap distancebetween twin phase plate lenses in accordance with various embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 12G depicts beam profiles at different gap distances between twinphase plate lenses in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 13A is a schematic diagram of a meniscus lens optical element inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 13B is a graph of BPP variation as a function of the distance of afused silica meniscus lens optical element from a beam source inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 14A is a schematic diagram of a partial laser beam delivery systemincorporating a triplet collimator for increased beam divergence inaccordance with various embodiments of the invention;

FIG. 14B is a graph of BPP variation as a function of the distance of aflat-top spherical optical element from a beam source in the laserdelivery system of FIG. 14A in accordance with various embodiments ofthe invention;

FIG. 14C is a graph of BPP variation as a function of the distance of ameniscus lens optical element from a beam source in the laser deliverysystem of FIG. 14A in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention;

FIG. 14D is a schematic diagram of a partial laser beam delivery systemincorporating a triplet collimator for increased beam divergence andtwin phase plate optical elements in accordance with various embodimentsof the invention;

FIG. 14E is a graph of the BPP variation as a function of gap distancebetween the twin phase plate lenses in the laser beam delivery system ofFIG. 14D in accordance with various embodiments of the invention; and

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram of a wavelength beam combining lasersystem that may be utilized to supply the input beam for laser beamdelivery systems in accordance with various embodiments of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts a schematic diagram of a laser beam delivery system 100incorporating beam-manipulating optical elements in accordance withembodiments of the present invention. In various embodiments, the laserbeam delivery system 100 may be disposed within, for example, alaser-based cutting head or welding head. The beam delivery system 100features a beam delivery fiber, terminating in a fiber end cap 105, thatis connected to remaining portions of the laser-generating system (forexample, a WBC laser system, not shown in FIG. 1), a collimating lens110, a focusing lens 115, and an optical element 120 that is positionedbetween the end cap 105 and the collimating lens 110. In variousembodiments, the optical element 120 is disposed close to the fiber endcap 105 to minimize the size of the beam striking the optical element120. Refraction of a smaller beam may be performed with optics havingsmaller geometric dimensions of the optics and may vary the outputprofile with more sensitivity. FIG. 1 also depicts an optional secondoptical element 125 disposed between the focusing lens 115 and aworkpiece 130. The workpiece 130 may include or consist essentially of,for example, one or more parts (e.g., metallic parts) to be welded,drilled, and/or cut by the beam focused by focusing lens 115. In variousembodiments, the first optical element 120 is disposed between thefocusing lens 115 and the workpiece 130 and the second optical element125 is omitted. Optical elements 120, 125 may each include or consistessentially of, for example, a phase plate.

The positions of first optical element 120 and/or second optical element125 may be translated within the beam profile via use of a lensmanipulation system that may include or consist essentially of, forexample, one or more mechanized or motorized translation stages 135capable of motion along two or three axes. The lens manipulation systemmay be responsive to a controller 140. The controller 140 may beresponsive to a desired target radiation power distribution and/or BPPor other measure of beam quality (e.g., input by a user and/or based onone or more properties of a workpiece to be processed such as thedistance to the workpiece, the composition of the workpiece, topographyof the workpiece, etc.) and configured to position optical element 120and/or optical element 125 to cause the manipulated beam 145 to strikethe workpiece 130 with the target radiation power distribution or beamquality. The controller 140 may be programmed to achieve the desiredpower distribution and/or output BPP and/or beam quality via aparticular optical element positioning as detailed herein. Thecontroller 140 may be provided as either software, hardware, or somecombination thereof. For example, the system may be implemented on oneor more conventional server-class computers, such as a PC having a CPUboard containing one or more processors such as the Pentium or Celeronfamily of processors manufactured by Intel Corporation of Santa Clara,Calif., the 680x0 and POWER PC family of processors manufactured byMotorola Corporation of Schaumburg, Ill., and/or the ATHLON line ofprocessors manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices, Inc., of Sunnyvale,Calif. The processor may also include a main memory unit for storingprograms and/or data relating to the methods described herein. Thememory may include random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM),and/or FLASH memory residing on commonly available hardware such as oneor more application specific integrated circuits (ASIC), fieldprogrammable gate arrays (FPGA), electrically erasable programmableread-only memories (EEPROM), programmable read-only memories (PROM),programmable logic devices (PLD), or read-only memory devices (ROM). Insome embodiments, the programs may be provided using external RAM and/orROM such as optical disks, magnetic disks, as well as other commonlyused storage devices. For embodiments in which the functions areprovided as one or more software programs, the programs may be writtenin any of a number of high level languages such as FORTRAN, PASCAL,JAVA, C, C++, C#, BASIC, various scripting languages, and/or HTML.Additionally, the software may be implemented in an assembly languagedirected to the microprocessor resident on a target computer; forexample, the software may be implemented in Intel 80×86 assemblylanguage if it is configured to run on an IBM PC or PC clone. Thesoftware may be embodied on an article of manufacture including, but notlimited to, a floppy disk, a jump drive, a hard disk, an optical disk, amagnetic tape, a PROM, an EPROM, EEPROM, field-programmable gate array,or CD-ROM.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an optical element 200 having the shapeof a truncated cone (flat-top cone shape or tapered cylinder shape) inaccordance with embodiments of the invention. For example, opticalelement 200 may be utilized as optical element 120 and/or opticalelement 125 in delivery system 100. The parameters D, d, θ, and H aregeometrical design parameters for outside diameter, inside diameter(which may correspond to the beam size of the beam when it strikes theoptical element), slope angle which defines the maximum sagitta (or“sag,” h) and the separation of outer ring of the beam from the spotcenter of the beam, and the thickness of the optical element 200,respectively. Ray tracing of geometric optics may be used to designoptical elements in accordance with embodiments of the present inventionbased on the conservation of energy, the constancy of optical pathlength and Snell's law. The lens design and its surface profiles may,for example, transform the beam profile from a Gaussian into a Bessellaser beam with a desired intensity distribution.

Table 1 provides exemplary design values for exemplary optical elements200 including, consisting essentially of, or consisting of two differentmaterials, fused silica and zinc sulfide (e.g., ZnS MultiSpectral,available from II-VI Inc. of Saxonburg, Pa.).

TABLE 1 Optical Element Material Fused Silica Zinc Sulfide D (mm) 25 25d (mm) 8 8 H (mm) 2 0.85 h (μm) 50 17 Θ (mrad) 5.9 2

FIGS. 3A and 3B are graphs of BPP at different distances from the fiberend cap 105 to the exemplary fused silica (FIG. 3A) and zinc sulfide(FIG. 3B) optical elements 200 having the design parameters provided inTable 1. In the plots, the initial position of the optical element 200is assumed to be 25 mm from the end cap 105. As shown, in both cases,the BPP of the beam may be increased from about 4 to about 12 viadisplacement of the optical element 200 by approximately 30 mm. Theslope of this change in BPP as a function of displacement may be alteredvia changes in the numerical aperture of the fiber output at the end cap105. The beam profiles at a 50 mm distance of the optical element 200 tothe fiber end cap 105 are also shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B.

A tailored beam profile that has two peaks in one axis may be obtainedby positioning the optical element 200 (or other optical elementsdetailed herein) transversely off-center in the beam path (i.e.,partially introducing it into the input laser beam) as shown in FIG. 4A.Depending on the degree of introduction, the beam profile of the outputlaser beam may be optimally adapted to a variety of laser applications.In FIGS. 4B-4D, the beam profiles at different off-centered distances (0mm, 2 mm, and 4 mm) for optical element 200 at a 40 mm distance to theend cap 105 are shown. FIG. 4E is a graph of irradiance as a function ofposition for the beam profile depicted in FIG. 4D, clearly showing thetwo-peak nature of the beam profile. In various embodiments, thevariation of BPP at different off-centered positions of the opticalelement 200 is approximately zero, even while the irradiance as afunction of position across the beam profile changes.

Optical elements in accordance with embodiments of the invention mayalso have a truncated spherical (i.e., flat-top spherical) configurationand may be used to also produce a Bessel beam profile. The geometricdesign for optical elements 500 in accordance with such embodiments isdepicted schematically in FIG. 5. Optical element 500 may be utilized asoptical element 120 and/or optical element 125 in delivery system 100.The design parameters are the same as those detailed above for theflat-top cone optical element 200 except for the curvature radius R,which also defines the maximum sag (h) and the separation of theresulting annular beam ring from the beam spot center.

Table 2 provides exemplary design values for exemplary optical elements500 including, consisting essentially of, or consisting of two differentmaterials, fused silica and zinc sulfide.

TABLE 2 Optical Element Material Fused Silica Zinc Sulfide D (mm) 25 25d (mm) 8 8 H (mm) 2 0.85 h (μm) 58 23 R (mm) 1200 3000

FIGS. 6A and 6B are graphs of BPP at different distances from the fiberend cap 105 to the exemplary fused silica (FIG. 6A) and zinc sulfide(FIG. 6B) optical elements 500 having the design parameters provided inTable 2. In the plots, the initial position of the optical element 500is assumed to be 25 mm from the end cap 105. As shown, in both cases,the BPP of the beam may be increased from about 4 to about 12 viadisplacement of the optical element 500 by approximately 30 mm (e.g.,approximately 28 mm-approximately 32 mm). The slope of this change inBPP as a function of displacement may be altered via changes in thenumerical aperture of the fiber output at the end cap 105. The beamprofiles at a 50 mm distance of the optical elements 500 to the fiberend cap 105 are also shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, as are graphs of theirirradiance as a function of position for the 50 mm spacing betweenoptical element 500 and end cap 105.

In FIGS. 7A-7C, the beam profiles at different off-centered distances (0mm, 2 mm, and 4 mm) for optical element 500 (i.e., as shown for opticalelement 200 in FIG. 4A) at a 40 mm distance to the end cap 105 areshown. FIG. 7D is a graph of irradiance as a function of position forthe beam profile depicted in FIG. 7C, clearly showing the two-peaknature of the intensity of the beam profile. In various embodiments, thevariation of BPP at different off-centered positions of the opticalelement 500 is approximately zero, even while the irradiance as afunction of position across the beam profile changes.

Embodiments of the invention utilize optical elements to produce annularbeam shapes. Embodiments of the invention feature one or more opticalelements that include, consist essentially of, or consist of axiconlenses. As known in the art, axicon lenses are lenses having at leastone conical surface, and such lenses may be utilized to image a pointsource into a line segment along the optical axis. The conical surfaceof revolution is capable of blending light from a point source, which islocated on the axis of revolution, by reflection or refraction, or both.Embodiments of the invention utilize a combination of a double-positive(i.e., double convex) axicon lens 800 and a double-negative (i.e.,double concave) axicon lens 810 between the fiber end cap 105 and thecollimating lens 110 as shown in FIG. 8A, and the beam size at theworkpiece may be varied utilizing this lensing system. As shown, lenses800, 810 are separated in the beam path by a gap distance 820. θ1 and θ2are the slope variables of the conic surfaces that define the maximumsags (h1 and h2) and the separation of the annular beam ring from thebeam spot center as schematically drawn in FIGS. 8B and 8C. In variousembodiments of the invention, the conical surfaces of one or both oflenses 800, 810 have smooth edges and radii of curvature less thanapproximately 5 μm.

FIG. 9 is a graph depicting control over the BPP of the laser deliverysystem as a function of the gap distance 820 between the two axiconlenses 800, 810. As shown in FIG. 9, an approximate 7 mm variation inthe gap distance 820 results in a BPP increase from 4 to 12,demonstrating the wide range of BPP control enabled by such embodimentsof the present invention. The beam profiles as a function of gapdistance 820 between the lenses 800, 810 are shown in FIG. 10, where thegap distances are listed in millimeters. As shown, adjustment of the gapdistance 820 may transform a beam profile having a single peak to onehaving two, three, or more peaks. FIG. 11 depicts similar beam profilesfor the case in which the two axicon lenses 800, 810 are transverselyoff-center by 4 mm in the beam path and separated by the listed gapdistances 820 (gap distances are listed in millimeters).

Embodiments of the invention feature one or more optical elements thatinclude, consist essentially of, or consist of phase plates having oneplanar surface and an opposing surface at least a portion of which isconvexly or concavely curved. FIG. 12A depicts a partial beam deliverysystem featuring two such plates 1200, 1210 separated by a gap Z. Asshown, plate 1200 is separated from fiber end cap 105 by a distance S.FIGS. 12B and 12C depict plates 1200, 1210 in more detail. As shown,plates 1200, 1210 have an outer diameter D, and the convex/concaveportions of their surfaces have an inner diameter d that defines themaximum sag h (in conjunction with R, detailed below). The thicknessesof the plates at their outer perimeters (i.e., the thicknesses betweenplanar portions of their opposing surfaces) are represented by H, andthe radii of curvature of the convex/concave portions are represented byR. As depicted in FIGS. 12B and 12C, the plates 1200, 1210 haveapproximately the same H, D, d, and R, although various embodiments ofthe invention feature twin plates (i.e., one having a partial concavesurface and one having a partial convex surface) that differ in one ormore of those parameters.

Table 3 provides exemplary design values for exemplary optical elements1200, 1210 including, consisting essentially of, or consisting of twodifferent materials, fused silica and zinc sulfide.

TABLE 3 Optical Element Material Fused Silica Zinc Sulfide D (mm) 25 25d (mm) 5 5 H (mm) 2 1 h (μm) 25 9.3 R (mm) 500 1350

FIGS. 12D and 12E depict that, in accordance with embodiments of theinvention, the inner diameter d of plates 1200, 1210 may be optimized tomaximize the output BPP of the laser delivery system as a function ofthe distance S from the fiber end cap 105. FIG. 12D is a graph of BPP asa function of inner diameter d for plates 1200, 1210 having a distance Sof 40 mm, a gap distance Z of 10 mm, and a radius of curvature R of 500.As shown, the resulting BPP is maximized at an inner diameter d ofapproximately 5 mm; this BPP is substantially independent of changes inthe gap distance Z and the radius of curvature R. FIG. 12E is a graph ofthe optimized inner diameter d (i.e., the inner diameter d thatmaximizes the output BPP) as a function of the distance S between theend cap 105 and the plate 1200. As shown, an optimized inner diameter dmay be selected that maximizes BPP of the output beam as a function ofthe distance S.

FIG. 12F is a graph of BPP at different gap distances Z between plates1200, 1210 having the design parameters provided in Table 3 (with thedesign parameters of Table 3, both the fused silica and zinc sulfideplates 1200, 1210 provide the same results). In the plot, the distance Sto the end cap 105 is assumed to be 40 mm. As shown, the BPP of the beammay be increased from about 4 to about 12 via alteration of the gap Zbetween plates 1200, 1210 by approximately 9 mm. Various beam profilesof the output beam as a function of the gap Z (in mm) are illustrated inFIG. 12G, as are graphs of their irradiance as a function of position.As shown, as the beam BPP increases, the beam shape proceeds from havinga single peak to having a broader, multi-peak irradiance profile.

Optical elements in accordance with embodiments of the invention mayalso include, consist essentially of, or consist of meniscus lenses. Thegeometric design for optical elements 1300 in accordance with suchembodiments is depicted schematically in FIG. 13A; as shown, in variousembodiments, one surface of optical element 1300 is convexly curved oversubstantially the entire surface, while the opposing surface isconcavely curved over a portion of the surface, defining an innerdiameter d. Optical element 1300 may be utilized as optical element 120and/or optical element 125 in delivery system 100. As shown, opticalelement 1300 may have an outer diameter D, inner diameter d, thicknessH, maximum sag h1 of the convexly curved surface, and maximum sag h2 ofthe partially concavely curved surface. The radius of curvature R, whichmay be approximately the same for both surfaces of optical element 1300,defines the maximum sags h1 and h2, as well as the separation of theresulting annular beam ring from the beam spot center.

Table 4 provides exemplary design values for exemplary optical elements1300 including, consisting essentially of, or consisting of twodifferent materials, fused silica and zinc sulfide.

TABLE 4 Optical Element Material Fused Silica Zinc Sulfide D (mm) 25 25d (mm) 8 8 H (mm) 3 1.8 h1 (μm) 87 31 h2 (μm) 9 3.2 R (mm) 900 2500

FIG. 13B is a graph of BPP at different distances from the fiber end cap105 to the exemplary fused silica optical element 1300 having the designparameters provided in Table 4. In the plot, the initial position of theoptical element 1300 is assumed to be 25 mm from the end cap 105. Asshown, the BPP of the beam may be increased from about 4 to about 12 viadisplacement of the optical element 1300 by approximately 24 mm. Thebeam profile at a 46 mm distance of the optical element 1300 to thefiber end cap 105 is also shown in FIG. 13B, as is a graph of theirradiance as a function of position for the 46 mm spacing betweenoptical element 1300 and end cap 105.

Laser beam delivery systems in accordance with embodiments of thepresent invention may also utilize various lens arrangements to formlarger, more diverged input beams for BPP variation as a function ofoptical element movement. FIG. 14A depicts portions of a laser deliverysystem 1400 that incorporates a movable optical element 1405 for BPPvariation and a triplet collimator for increasing divergence of thelaser beam. As shown, the triplet collimator increases the divergence ofthe beam from an angle α to an angle β. In various embodiments, theratio of β to α is between approximately 2 and approximately 1.5, e.g.,approximately 1.74. As described in more detail below, this increaseddivergence enables greater control over BPP with less movement of theoptical element 1405. In various embodiments, the optical element 1405includes, consists essentially of, or consists of any one or more ofoptical element 200, optical element 500, optical element 1300, phaseplates 1200/1210, or axicon lenses 800, 810.

Triplet collimators for increasing beam divergence in accordance withembodiments of the invention may be composed of various combinations oflenses. FIG. 14A depicts one such embodiment that includes aplano-concave lens 1410, a meniscus lens 1415 (e.g., a positive meniscuslens), and a plano-convex lens 1420. In various embodiments of theinvention, the optical element 1405 is disposed in the beam path betweenplano-concave lens 1410 and meniscus lens 1415. In other embodiments,the optical element 1405 may be disposed in the beam path betweenmeniscus lens 1415 and plano-convex lens 1420 or even opticallydownstream of plano-convex lens 1420.

FIG. 14B is a graph of BPP at different distances from the fiber end cap105 to the exemplary fused silica optical element 200 having the designparameters provided in Table 1 when utilized in laser beam deliverysystem 1400 in conjunction with a triplet collimator for increased beamdivergence. In the plot, the initial position of the optical element 200is assumed to be 25 mm from the end cap 105. As shown, the BPP of thebeam may be increased from about 4 to about 12 via displacement of theoptical element 200 by only approximately 16 mm, or about a factor of 2less displacement (i.e., greater control) when compared to the beamdelivery system lacking the triplet collimator of FIG. 14A (see FIG.3A). The beam profile at a 21 mm distance of the optical element 200 tothe fiber end cap 105 is also shown in FIG. 14B.

FIG. 14C is a graph of BPP at different distances from the fiber end cap105 to the exemplary fused silica optical element 1300 having the designparameters provided in Table 4 when utilized in laser beam deliverysystem 1400 in conjunction with a triplet collimator for increased beamdivergence. In the plot, the initial position of the optical element1300 is assumed to be 25 mm from the end cap 105. As shown, the BPP ofthe beam may be increased from about 4 to about 12 via displacement ofthe optical element 200 by only approximately 12 mm, or about a factorof 2 less displacement (i.e., greater control) when compared to the beamdelivery system lacking the triplet collimator of FIG. 14A (see FIG.13B). The beam profile at a 17.5 mm distance of the optical element 1300to the fiber end cap 105 is also shown in FIG. 14C.

FIG. 14D is a schematic of partial laser beam delivery system 1400incorporating the twin phase plate optical elements 1200, 1210 describedabove separated within the beam path by a gap distance Z. FIG. 14E is agraph of BPP for different gap spacings Z of the exemplary fused silicaoptical elements 1200, 1210 having the design parameters provided inTable 3 when utilized in laser beam delivery system 1400 in conjunctionwith a triplet collimator for increased beam divergence. In the plot,the position of the optical element 1200 is assumed to be 25 mm from theend cap 105. As shown, the BPP of the beam may be increased from about 4to about 12 via increasing the gap distance Z between the opticalelements 1200, 1210 by only approximately 3 mm, or about a factor of 3less displacement (i.e., greater control) when compared to the beamdelivery system lacking the triplet collimator of FIG. 14A (see FIG.12F). The beam profile at a 3 mm gap distance between optical elements1200, 1210 is also shown in FIG. 14C.

Laser systems and laser delivery systems in accordance with embodimentsof the present invention and detailed herein may be utilized in and/orwith WBC laser systems. Specifically, in various embodiments of theinvention, multi-wavelength output beams of WBC laser systems may beutilized as the input beams for laser beam delivery systems forvariation of BPP as detailed herein. FIG. 15 depicts an exemplary WBClaser system 1500 that utilizes one or more lasers 1505. In the exampleof FIG. 15, laser 1505 features a diode bar having four beam emittersemitting beams 1510 (see magnified input view 1515), but embodiments ofthe invention may utilize diode bars emitting any number of individualbeams or two-dimensional arrays or stacks of diodes or diode bars. Inview 1515, each beam 1510 is indicated by a line, where the length orlonger dimension of the line represents the slow diverging dimension ofthe beam, and the height or shorter dimension represents the fastdiverging dimension. A collimation optic 1520 may be used to collimateeach beam 1510 along the fast dimension. Transform optic(s) 1525, whichmay include or consist essentially of one or more cylindrical orspherical lenses and/or mirrors, are used to combine each beam 1510along a WBC direction 1530. The transform optics 1525 then overlap thecombined beam onto a dispersive element 1535 (which may include orconsist essentially of, e.g., a reflective or transmissive diffractiongrating, a dispersive prism, a grism (prism/grating), a transmissiongrating, or an Echelle grating), and the combined beam is thentransmitted as single output profile onto an output coupler 1540. Theoutput coupler 1540 then transmits the combined beams 1545 as shown onthe output front view 1550. The output coupler 1540 is typicallypartially reflective and acts as a common front facet for all the laserelements in this external cavity system 1500. An external cavity is alasing system where the secondary mirror is displaced at a distance awayfrom the emission aperture or facet of each laser emitter. In someembodiments, additional optics are placed between the emission apertureor facet and the output coupler or partially reflective surface. Theoutput beam 1545 is a thus a multiple-wavelength beam (combining thewavelengths of the individual beams 1510), and may be utilized as theinput beam in laser beam delivery systems detailed herein and/or may becoupled into an optical fiber.

The terms and expressions employed herein are used as terms ofdescription and not of limitation, and there is no intention, in the useof such terms and expressions, of excluding any equivalents of thefeatures shown and described or portions thereof, but it is recognizedthat various modifications are possible within the scope of theinvention claimed.

What is claimed is:
 1. A laser delivery system for receiving andaltering a spatial power distribution of a radiation beam from a beamsource and focusing the radiation with the altered spatial powerdistribution onto a workpiece, the system comprising: a collimating lensfor collimating the radiation beam; a focusing lens for receiving thecollimated beam and focusing the beam toward the workpiece; disposedbetween the beam source and the collimating lens, an optical element forreceiving the radiation beam and altering the spatial power distributionthereof; a lens manipulation system for changing a position of theoptical element within a path of the radiation beam; and a controllerfor controlling the lens manipulation system to achieve a target alteredspatial power distribution on the workpiece, wherein the optical elementis positioned transversely off-center within the path of the radiationbeam.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises alens having (i) a first surface having the shape of a truncated cone,and (ii) opposite the first surface, a second surface that issubstantially planar.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the firstsurface faces the beam source.
 4. The system of claim 2, wherein thefirst surface faces away from the beam source.
 5. The system of claim 1,wherein the optical element comprises a lens having (i) a first surfacehaving the shape of a truncated sphere, and (ii) opposite the firstsurface, a second surface that is substantially planar.
 6. The system ofclaim 5, wherein the first surface faces the beam source.
 7. The systemof claim 5, wherein the first surface faces away from the beam source.8. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical element comprises ameniscus lens.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the meniscus lens is apositive meniscus lens.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the meniscuslens is a negative meniscus lens.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein theoptical element comprises at least one of fused silica or zinc sulfide.12. The system of claim 1, further comprising a second optical elementdisposed between the focusing lens and the workpiece, wherein the lensmanipulation system is configured to change a position of the secondoptical element within the path of the radiation beam.
 13. The system ofclaim 12, wherein the second optical element comprises a lens having (i)a first surface having the shape of a truncated cone, and (ii) oppositethe first surface, a second surface that is substantially planar. 14.The system of claim 12, wherein the second optical element comprises alens having (i) a first surface having the shape of a truncated sphere,and (ii) opposite the first surface, a second surface that issubstantially planar.
 15. The system of claim 12, wherein the secondoptical element comprises a meniscus lens.
 16. The system of claim 15,wherein the meniscus lens is a positive meniscus lens.
 17. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the meniscus lens is a negative meniscus lens.
 18. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the beam source comprises: a beam emitteremitting a plurality of discrete beams; focusing optics for focusing theplurality of beams onto a dispersive element; a dispersive element forreceiving and dispersing the received focused beams; and a partiallyreflective output coupler positioned to receive the dispersed beams,transmit a portion of the dispersed beams therethrough as the radiationbeam, and reflect a second portion of the dispersed beams back towardthe dispersive element, wherein the radiation beam is composed ofmultiple wavelengths.
 19. The system of claim 18, wherein the dispersiveelement comprises a diffraction grating.
 20. The system of claim 1,wherein the controller is configured to control the lens manipulationsystem based on one or properties of the workpiece.
 21. The system ofclaim 20, wherein the one or more properties of the workpiece compriseat least one of a distance to the workpiece, a composition of theworkpiece, or a topography of the workpiece.
 22. A laser delivery systemfor receiving and altering a spatial power distribution of a radiationbeam from a beam source and focusing the radiation with the alteredspatial power distribution onto a workpiece, the system comprising: acollimating lens for collimating the radiation beam; a focusing lens forreceiving the collimated beam and focusing the beam toward theworkpiece; disposed between the beam source and the collimating lens,first and second optical elements for receiving the radiation beam andaltering the spatial power distribution thereof; a lens manipulationsystem for changing at least one of (i) a position of the first opticalelement within a path of the radiation beam, (ii) a position of thesecond optical element within the path of the radiation beam, or (iii) adistance between the first and second optical elements; and a controllerfor controlling the lens manipulation system to achieve a target alteredspatial power distribution on the workpiece, wherein at least one of thefirst optical element or the second optical element comprises a phaseplate.
 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the lens manipulation systemis configured to change the distance between the first and secondoptical elements within the range of approximately 0 mm to approximately20 mm.
 24. The system of claim 22, wherein the beam source comprises: abeam emitter emitting a plurality of discrete beams; focusing optics forfocusing the plurality of beams onto a dispersive element; a dispersiveelement for receiving and dispersing the received focused beams; and apartially reflective output coupler positioned to receive the dispersedbeams, transmit a portion of the dispersed beams therethrough as theradiation beam, and reflect a second portion of the dispersed beams backtoward the dispersive element, wherein the radiation beam is composed ofmultiple wavelengths.
 25. The system of claim 24, wherein the dispersiveelement comprises a diffraction grating.
 26. The system of claim 22,wherein the lens manipulation system is configured to change thedistance between the first and second optical elements within the rangeof approximately 2 mm to approximately 50 mm.
 27. The system of claim22, wherein at least one of the first optical element or the secondoptical element comprises at least one of fused silica or zinc sulfide.28. The system of claim 22, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the lens manipulation system based on one or properties of theworkpiece.
 29. The system of claim 28, wherein the one or moreproperties of the workpiece comprise at least one of a distance to theworkpiece, a composition of the workpiece, or a topography of theworkpiece.
 30. The system of claim 22, wherein the lens manipulationsystem is configured to fixedly position at least one of the firstoptical element or the second optical element transversely off-centerwithin the path of the radiation beam.
 31. The system of claim 22,wherein at least one of the first optical element or the second opticalelement is positioned transversely off-center within the path of theradiation beam.
 32. The system of claim 22, wherein each of the firstoptical element and the second optical element comprises a phase plate.33. A laser delivery system for receiving and altering a spatial powerdistribution of a radiation beam from a beam source and focusing theradiation with the altered spatial power distribution onto a workpiece,the system comprising: a collimating lens for collimating the radiationbeam; a focusing lens for receiving the collimated beam and focusing thebeam toward the workpiece; disposed between the beam source and thecollimating lens, first and second optical elements for receiving theradiation beam and altering the spatial power distribution thereof; alens manipulation system for changing at least one of (i) a position ofthe first optical element within a path of the radiation beam, (ii) aposition of the second optical element within the path of the radiationbeam, or (iii) a distance between the first and second optical elements;and a controller for controlling the lens manipulation system to achievea target altered spatial power distribution on the workpiece, wherein:the first optical element comprises a lens having (i) a first surfacethat is substantially planar, and (ii) opposite the first surface, asecond surface having (a) a first portion that is convexly curved and(b) a second portion that is substantially planar; and the secondoptical element comprises a lens having (i) a first surface that issubstantially planar, and (ii) opposite the first surface, a secondsurface having (a) a first portion that is concavely curved and (b) asecond portion that is substantially planar.
 34. The system of claim 33,wherein the lens manipulation system is configured to fixedly positionat least one of the first optical element or the second optical elementtransversely off-center within the path of the radiation beam.
 35. Thesystem of claim 33, wherein the lens manipulation system is configuredto change the distance between the first and second optical elementswithin the range of approximately 0 mm to approximately 20 mm.
 36. Thesystem of claim 33, wherein the beam source comprises: a beam emitteremitting a plurality of discrete beams; focusing optics for focusing theplurality of beams onto a dispersive element; a dispersive element forreceiving and dispersing the received focused beams; and a partiallyreflective output coupler positioned to receive the dispersed beams,transmit a portion of the dispersed beams therethrough as the radiationbeam, and reflect a second portion of the dispersed beams back towardthe dispersive element, wherein the radiation beam is composed ofmultiple wavelengths.
 37. The system of claim 36, wherein the dispersiveelement comprises a diffraction grating.
 38. The system of claim 33,wherein the lens manipulation system is configured to change thedistance between the first and second optical elements within the rangeof approximately 2 mm to approximately 50 mm.
 39. The system of claim33, wherein at least one of the first optical element or the secondoptical element comprises at least one of fused silica or zinc sulfide.40. The system of claim 33, wherein the controller is configured tocontrol the lens manipulation system based on one or properties of theworkpiece.
 41. The system of claim 40, wherein the one or moreproperties of the workpiece comprise at least one of a distance to theworkpiece, a composition of the workpiece, or a topography of theworkpiece.